"The Iron Man" is a musical based on the original story by Ted Hughes. The songs, all but one composed by Pete Townshend, center around the struggle between man and machine. John Lee Hooker plays the role of the Iron Man, who hunts for machines (including farm equipment) to devour. A group of angry farmers successfully plant a trap for him. With help from the character Hogarth, however, he manages to reassemble himself in "A Friend is A Friend."

The legendary jazz singer Nina Simone makes an appearance as the terrible Space Dragon, who threatens to destroy Planet Earth if her demands for human flesh are not satisfied. In "Fire," the Iron Man defeats her in battle and becomes a hero among the people.

"The Iron Man" is not as groundbreaking as some of Pete Townshend's earlier albums, like "Empty Glass" (which is now considered a classic by many). Just the same, it has a lot more substance than most of the music we hear on Top 40 radio nowadays. n